Former U.S. Department of Agriculture official Lanon Baccam on Thursday became the first notable Iowa Democrat to launch a bid against Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who holds a swing seat that Democrats want to retake. Baccam, who is the son of members of the Tai Dam ethnic minority who fled Laos as refugees following the communist takeover in 1975, would be the first person of color to represent the state in Congress.
But he has a challenging race ahead of him before he can make history. The 3rd District, which is based in Des Moines and southwestern Iowa favored Donald Trump by a tiny 49.3-48.9 margin in 2020. Nunn ousted Rep. Cindy Axne, who was the Hawkeye State's only remaining Democratic member of Congress, by a comparably tight 50.3-49.6 spread two years later.
Baccam announced his effort with endorsements from state Auditor Rob Sand, who is the party's only remaining statewide elected official, and former Gov. Tom Vilsack, Joe Biden's secretary of agriculture. The new candidate used his launch video to describe his decision to enlist in the Iowa National Guard at age 17, for which he needed permission from his parents. "After 9/11, my National Guard unit was activated and deployed to Afghanistan," Baccam tells the audience. "As a combat engineer, I was on the frontlines detonating unexploded ordinances and weapons caches. I was proud of my service and grateful to make it home."
Nunn, who served in the Air Force, finished September with $1.4 million in the bank, and he'll have access to plenty more to defend this seat. If Baccam can prove himself, though, Iowa's 3rd could once again be a top battleground. As the new challenger pointed out in his kickoff video, "The last race was decided by just a few votes per precinct."
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